OPM’s Workforce Planning Model

OPM’s Workforce Planning Model INTRODUCTION

Workforce planning is the systematic process for identifying and addressing the gaps between the workforce of today and the human capital needs of tomorrow. Effective workforce planning enables the organization to:     

OPM’S 5-STEP WORKFORCE PLANNING MODEL

Align workforce requirements directly to the agency’s strategic and annual business plans Develop a comprehensive picture of where gaps exist between competencies the workforce currently possesses and future competency requirements Identify and implement gap reduction strategies Make decisions about how best to structure the organization and deploy the workforce Identify and overcome internal and external barriers to accomplishing strategic workforce goals.

OPM developed a five-step workforce planning model. This model serves as a useful starting point for understanding the elements involved in workforce planning. The information that follows includes a graphic representation of this model and brief descriptions of each of its five steps. Additional Web sites are also highlighted for more in-depth research.

OPM’s Workforce Planning Model (continued)

Step 1: Set Strategic Direction

This step involves linking the workforce planning process with the agency’s strategic plan, annual performance/business plan, and work activities required to carry out the goals and objectives of the strategic plan (long term) and performance plan (short term).

Step 2: Analyze Workforce, Identify Skill Gaps, and Conduct Workforce Analysis

This step involves:   

Determining what the current workforce resources are and how they will evolve over time through turnover, etc. Developing specifications for the kinds, numbers, and location of workers and managers needed to accomplish the agency’s strategic requirements Determining what gaps exist between the current and projected workforce needs.

OPM’s Workforce Planning Model (continued) Step 3: Develop Action Plan

This step involves the identification of strategies to close gaps, plans to implement the strategies, and measures for assessing strategic progress. These strategies could include such things as recruiting, training/retraining, restructuring organizations, contracting out, succession planning, technological enhancements, etc.

Step 4: Implement Action Plan

This step involves ensuring that human and fiscal resources are in place, roles are understood, and the necessary communication, marketing, and coordination is occurring to execute the plan and achieve the strategic objectives.

Step 5: Monitor, Evaluate, and Revise.

This step involves monitoring progress against milestones, assessing for continuous improvement purposes, and adjusting the plan to make course corrections and to address new workforce issues.

To find data that may be useful in workforce planning, in addition to agency-maintained data, be sure to look at these other OPM Web sites: FedScope: http://www.fedscope.opm.gov/index.asp Federal Employment Statistics: http://www.opm.gov/feddata/ End to End Hiring Process: http://www.opm.gov/publications/EndToEnd-HiringInitiative.pdf http://performance.gov/ (Areas of Focus/Human Resources)

The following Web site presents OPM’s Principles of Assessments; as this may be useful in identifying assessments that will enable organizations to select the best candidate for positions : http://apps.opm.gov/ADT/ContentFiles/PrinciplesOfAssessment06250 7.ppt